The Triathlon Legacy Continues

My 13-year old sister is fast. We've raced in two 5ks together and she beat me in both. As much as my competitive native wants to be faster than her, I was more excited at all of her potential. At 13 I hated running, didn't know how to swim, and only rode my bike around the neighborhood. Holly, on the other hand, is the fastest runner in her P.E. class and she's been begging for me to find a triathlon to race.

Her day finally came and she got to experience her first triathlon! I was so excited to show her the ropes. We spent a few days in the two weeks prior swimming. She was ready, well, at least I knew she was ready.

The triathlon she did was the 25th Annual Varsity Scout Triathlon at Fiesta Island in San Diego. The race is put on by the Boy Scouts for the Boy Scouts. 12-18 girls are allowed to race, as well as adults leaders. This was the perfect race for Holly: a 180-200 yard swim, 8.5 mile bike, and 2 mile run.

The race began at 7:00am, which means we had to get up at 4:30am to drive to San Diego. I am usually not excited to wake-up early, but I was just so excited for Holly. We arrived at the race venue and helped Holly get her transition area set up. She used my bike for the race. Skyler wanted to put his race wheels on my bike so Holly would look pro, but time didn't allow that.

Holly and a few of her friends were all smiles before the race, but I could tell they were a little nervous. The swim is always the scariest part for a newbie triathlete.

The race field consisted of mostly boys, but these girls looked ready.

Since the swim was so short, no one wore a wetsuit. I would have been nervous about that, only because I'm a wuss when it comes to being cold.

Holly started in the last wave of racers. She had a pretty decent swim. The race didn't keep track of split times, but we figure it was about 4:30 minutes. She later told me that the water wasn't as cold as she thought it would be. She exited the water with a smile on her face and a quick run pace.

She had a pretty fast transition time, which she can't attribute to me. I'm pretty slow, although I'm trying to get faster.

The bike course consisted of 3 laps around Fiesta Island. I liked being able to see her several times and cheer her on.

She's a natural!

My mom and dad were also at the race to cheer on their youngest daughter.

Skyler and I had a fun time being active spectators. We were running around trying to see Holly at all possible places. Being a spectator is no easy job.

Holly finished her third lap and rode into the transition area. And when I say "rode in" I mean she didn't stop. In acquainting her with my bike, I showed her the basics, but didn't get a chance to have her ride much. And since she didn't use the brakes the entire time, she had forgotten where they were. So when she finally needed to use the brakes, she rode straight into a man directing transition traffic. No biggie. She hopped off the bike and ran it over to her area. Her bike split was around 28 minutes. She's fast.

Holly started the run with a bang. We watched her pass people right and left. This was her strength.

I was so excited to see her coming down the finish line. Not only was she completing her first triathlon, she was the first girl under 18. That's my sister!

She finished her run in about 14:30 minutes, which is a 7:15 pace. She told me that her legs were tired during the run. I can't imagine how much faster she could have been. Holly's total time was 49:55.

Holly, triathlete.

Proud parents.

Proud sister.

Holly finished on the podium, although there was a mix-up with the times and they thought she was second. Since I watched everyone come through the finish, I knew that wasn't true. After a correction, she was listed as first place girl. Yeah!

The correction wasn't made soon enough and she went home with a 2nd place plaque. We know the real results though. The only problem with a first place finish is that she can only go down from here. I don't think that will stop her though. I can't wait to race with her during her next triathlon, whenever that will be. Congrats Holly! You are awesome!

I finally changed our blog header pic. Now our whole family is present. How could I leave out this cute little Pumpkin girl.